Bottle jack

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a bottle jack comprising a main body and a shaft that expands or contracts, further comprising:
         a passage space communicating a hydraulically operated circuit with an unloading circuit through which the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulically operated circuit and subsequent lowering of the shaft occur;   a closure element elastically pushed towards the passage space to prevent the outlet of hydraulic fluid therethrough;   a ram assembly elastically pushed in the longitudinal backward movement direction (B) with a force greater than the force with which the closure element is elastically pushed against the passage space; and   a telescopic lever assembly which can be lowered by a user to operate the hydraulically operated system.

FIELD OF THE ART

The invention relates to a bottle jack of the type formed by a main bodyand a hydraulically operated shaft expanding or contracting with respectto the main body for lifting and lowering a load.

STATE OF THE ART

A bottle jack is an apparatus which allows lifting very heavy objectsand is basically formed by a generally cylindrical main body with ahydraulically operated shaft projecting from the inside thereof. Theshaft is capable of moving up and down when hydraulic operation isactivated by a user, which allows lifting or lowering a heavy object.The name “bottle” comes from the fact that a significant portion of themain body usually has a shape resembling a bottle.

To allow lifting the heavy object, the bottle jack comprises anoperating mechanism on which the user can act. Said operating mechanismis generally a lever connected in an articulated manner to the rest ofthe jack. When the user pushes the lever and causes rotation thereofwith respect to the rest of the jack, specific operating mechanismscomprised in the jack convert mechanical energy acquired by the leverinto pressure of a hydraulic fluid contained in an inner operatingcircuit of the jack. The pressure acquired by the hydraulic fluid thencauses movement of the shaft and lifting thereof with respect to themain body. As it moves up, the shaft pushes the heavy object upward,causing it to be lifted.

The bottle jack must also allow lowering the load or object being liftedby the jack. The jack must assure that the object is lowered in acontrolled manner without causing the object to lose balance, fall oroverturn, all of which are extremely dangerous for the jack user andwhich can cause damage to the object held by the jack. To allowcontrolled lowering, bottle jacks usually comprise an unloading systemwhich, when operated by the user, opens the hydraulically operatedcircuit in a controlled manner, allowing the weight of the loaded objectto gradually cause the shaft to be slowly lowered. To allow said openingof the hydraulically operated circuit, the unloading system comprises avalve which can be operated by means of an outer rotating key, such thatwhen the user rotates the outer rotating key the valve opens slightly,allowing the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluid from the inneroperating circuit.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an unloading systemfor bottle jacks that is an alternative to known systems and offerssimple and effective operation as an alternative to operation using avalve with a rotating key.

The unloading system also seeks to provide greater safety for the userand for the load supported by the jack. Specifically, it seeks to find adeadman-type unloading system which stops unloading if the user stopsperforming the unloading operation.

On the other hand, the lever of a bottle jack can generally bedisconnected from the main body, such that a user who wants to store thejack detaches the lever from the main body and stores both securely,supposedly optimizing the space required for storing the jack. Onedrawback of this way of storing the jack is that the lever tends to getlost.

To solve this problem, another objective of the present invention is tofacilitate storing the bottle jack by eliminating or reducing the riskof the lever getting lost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a bottle jack comprising a main body anda shaft expanding or contracting with respect to the main body forlifting and lowering a load. The shaft expands with respect to the mainbody due to pressure exerted on the shaft by a hydraulic fluid containedin a hydraulically operated circuit. For example, the main body can be abase on which there is arranged a bottle with the shaft expanding fromthe inside thereof; in this example, the hydraulically operated circuitallows, in this case, a hydraulic fluid to be moved from a first innerchamber of the bottle, acquiring pressure, to another inner area orchamber of the bottle arranged below the shaft, causing the shaft tomove up due to the pressure of the hydraulic fluid. The jack accordingto the invention has a particular unloading system to allow thecontrolled outlet of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulically operatedcircuit (said outflowing fluid being directed towards the first innerchamber of the bottle, for example) so that pressure decreases and thecontrolled lowering of the shaft and the load supported by the shaftoccurs.

Specifically, the bottle jack according to the invention comprises apassage space communicating the hydraulically operated circuit with anunloading circuit through which the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluidfrom the hydraulically operated circuit and subsequent lowering of theshaft can occur. The jack further comprises a closure element located inthe hydraulically operated circuit and elastically pushed towards thepassage space to close said passage space and prevent the controlledoutlet of hydraulic fluid through the passage space. A ram assemblyprovided with an outer end outside the unloading circuit and an innerend inside the unloading circuit is further included. The ram assemblyis movable with respect to the passage space in a longitudinal forwardmovement direction towards the passage space and in a longitudinalbackward movement direction opposite the longitudinal forward movementdirection. The inner end of the ram assembly has the function of pushingthe closure element and separating said closure element from the passagespace when the outer end is pushed enough to move the ram assembly asufficient distance in the longitudinal forward movement direction. Thejack also comprises a lever assembly which can be lowered by a user tooperate the hydraulically operated system, where said lever assembly istelescopic and the total length of the lever assembly is variable.

Additionally, the ram assembly is elastically pushed in the longitudinalbackward movement direction with a force greater than the force withwhich the closure element is elastically pushed against the passagespace. Therefore, if the outer end is not pushed in the longitudinalforward movement direction, the ram assembly is always separated fromthe closure element. As a result, if pushing undesirably or desirablystops during controlled unloading (operated by pushing the outer end inthe longitudinal forward movement direction), the ram assembly isautomatically separated from the closure element, so unloading stopsautomatically and immediately. This mechanism increases safety for thejack user and for the load supported by same since it preventsuncontrolled or unwanted lowering of the load, unloading only beingpossible if it is being deliberately operated (if the outer end of theram assembly is being deliberately pushed).

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottle jackcomprises a main body and a shaft expanding or contracting with respectto the main body for lifting and lowering a load, where the shaftexpands due to pressure exerted by a hydraulic fluid contained in ahydraulically operated circuit. The bottle jack further comprises apassage space communicating the hydraulically operated circuit with anunloading circuit through which the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluidfrom the hydraulically operated circuit and subsequent lowering of theshaft can occur; a closure element located in the hydraulically operatedcircuit and elastically pushed towards the passage space to close saidpassage space and prevent the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluidthrough the passage space; a ram assembly provided with an outer endoutside the unloading circuit, and an inner end inside the unloadingcircuit, said ram assembly being movable with respect to the passagespace in a longitudinal forward movement direction (A) towards thepassage space and in a longitudinal backward movement direction (B)opposite the longitudinal forward movement direction (A), where theinner end of the ram assembly pushes the closure element and separatessaid closure element from the passage space when the outer end ispushed, moving the ram assembly a sufficient distance in thelongitudinal forward movement direction (A); where the ram assembly iselastically pushed in the longitudinal backward movement direction (B)with a force greater than the force with which the closure element iselastically pushed against the passage space.

The closure element is preferably a ball.

The closure element is preferably elastically pushed towards the passagespace by a spring.

The ram assembly is preferably elastically pushed in the longitudinalbackward movement direction (B) by a spring.

The user can preferably operate the outer end of the ram assembly fromoutside the main body in the longitudinal forward movement direction(A).

The bottle jack preferably comprises an operating lever for pushing theouter element in the longitudinal forward movement direction (A). Theoperating lever can also preferably be assembled on a receiving elementarticulated to the main body to allow applying pressure on the hydraulicfluid contained in a hydraulically operated circuit and expansivelyoperating the shaft.

The bottle jack preferably comprises an L-shaped part arranged in aninverted manner against a base of the main body, where said L-shapedpart comprises an upper segment and a side segment and is capable ofrotating with respect to said base according to a rotating shaft, wherethe side segment pushes the outer end of the ram assembly when theL-shaped part is rotated towards the inner end.

The operating lever can preferably be assembled on the L-shaped partsuch that rotation of the operating lever causes rotation of theL-shaped part with respect to the rotating shaft. Preferably, saidoperating lever comprises a notch at one end defining a hook, and theL-shaped part comprises a protuberance configured for being coupled inthe notch and retained by the hook.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottlejack comprises a main body and a shaft capable of being moved withrespect to the main body in a direction of expansion and in a directionof compression for lifting and lowering a load, respectively. To causemovement of the shaft, the jack comprises a hydraulically operatedsystem which is capable of providing pressure to an inner hydraulicfluid, said pressure finally acting on the shaft to cause movementthereof in the direction of expansion. The jack is further provided witha lever assembly which can be lowered by a user to operate thehydraulically operated system, i.e., to cause an increase in hydraulicfluid pressure. The jack according to one embodiment of the inventionfurthermore has the particularity that the lever assembly is telescopicand the total length of the lever assembly is variable. Having atelescopic lever assembly the length of which is variable allows thelever assembly to adopt different lengths depending on usage needs.Furthermore, it facilitates being able to stow away the lever assemblyto a position of minimal length when the jack is to be stored,optimizing the space required for storing the jack.

In another preferred embodiment, the bottle jack comprises a receivingopening in which a hook-type element comprised in the lever assembly canbe engaged. This allows the telescopically stowed lever assembly to bestored hanging from the main body and therefore together with it, thejack being stored as a single integral unit. The risk of the leverassembly getting lost when the jack is not being used is thereforereduced or eliminated in its entirety.

The lever assembly is preferably connected to an articulated receiverproviding the lever assembly with a rotating connection with respect tothe main body, and the lever assembly can be disassembled from saidarticulated receiver.

The bottle jack preferably comprises at least one fixing element forfixing the lever assembly, when it is disconnected from the articulatedreceiver, to an area of the main body other than the articulatedreceiver. Said fixing element preferably comprises a hook-type elementand a receiving opening suitable for receiving said hook-type element.

The fixing element preferably fixes the lever assembly, when it isdisconnected from the articulated receiver, to an upper area of thebottle through which the shaft projects. The upper area preferablycomprises a neck with a ring rotatably arranged around it, and thefixing element connects the lever assembly, when it is disconnected fromthe articulated receiver, to said ring. The ring also preferablycomprises a handle to allow gripping by the user.

The main body of the bottle jack preferably comprises a base forsupporting the jack on the ground or a surface, and the articulatedreceiver is rotational with respect to said base according to a rotatingshaft perpendicular to the base, to allow rotation of the lever assemblyin a plane parallel to the ground or surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of the invention are shown in the attached drawings which donot seek to limit the scope of the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a bottle jackaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a section view of the jack of the preceding figureaccording to section plane A-A indicated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged image of the lower area of FIG. 2 in which theunloading mechanism of the bottle jack is comprised.

FIG. 4 shows a section view of the jack of FIG. 1 according to sectionplane A-A indicated in said figure. The unloading mechanism of thebottle jack in which the operating lever is completely assembled on thebase thereof is also shown in detail.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the bottle jackaccording to the invention, depicted in a situation in which it is readyto be used for lifting a load.

FIG. 6 shows the jack of the preceding figure, depicted in a situationin which it is ready to be stored.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a bottle jack according to theinvention. The jack (1) comprises a main body (2) which, in the presentembodiment, is formed by a base (3) intended for being supported on theground or other applicable surface, and a bottle (4) which rises abovethe base (3). The jack (1) further comprises a shaft (5) expanding orcontracting with respect to the main body (2), in this case with respectto the bottle (4), for lifting and lowering the load. The shaft (5) hasan upper portion (5 a) intended for contacting the load and pushing it.In FIG. 1, the shaft (5) is retracted inside the bottle (4).Nevertheless, to illustrate movement of the shaft (5), the shaft (5) andthe upper portion (5 a) are further depicted with dotted lines in animaginary extended position (5′, 5 a′) in which both have been expandedwith respect to the bottle (4) due to pressure exerted on the shaft (5)by a hydraulic fluid contained in a hydraulically operated circuit (6).The hydraulically operated circuit, the exact configuration of which isnot relevant for the present invention, can work, for example, byallowing passage of a hydraulic fluid from a first inner chamber (7) ofthe bottle (4), by acquiring pressure, to a second inner chamber (8) ofthe bottle (4), arranged below the shaft (5). In the jack (1) of thedrawing, pressure would be provided to the hydraulic fluid by connectingan operating lever (11) to a housing (9) of a receiving element (10)articulated to the main body (2), in this case with respect to the base(3), and rotating said lever up and down repeatedly like a pump. Theincreasing pressure of the hydraulic fluid contained in thehydraulically operated circuit, and therefore in the second innerchamber (8) of the bottle (4), which pressure is schematically depictedin the drawing by means of arrows (P), would push the shaft (5) upwardsand cause lifting of the shaft (5) and the load pushed by the upperportion (5 a) of the shaft (5).

The jack (1) according to the invention has a novel unloading system toallow the controlled and secure lowering of the shaft (5) and the loadsupported by the shaft (5). FIG. 1 shows the jack (1) in a situation inwhich said unloading system is ready to be operated. More specifically,and according to an optional embodiment of the invention, the unloadingsystem is ready to be operated by means of an operating lever (11). Insaid embodiment, furthermore, said operating lever (11) is precisely theoperating lever for lifting the shaft (5) mentioned in the precedingparagraph. In other words, in this embodiment of the invention the jack(1) has a single operating lever (11) that can be disconnected from andconnected to different points of the jack (1) and can be used both forcontrolled lifting and lowering of the shaft (5). To enable lifting asmentioned in the preceding paragraph, the operating lever (11) must beconnected to the housing (9) of the receiving element (10). In contrast,to enable controlled lowering of the shaft (5) and load, in the presentembodiment the operating lever (11) must be connected as illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows a section view of the jack (1) of the preceding figureaccording to section plane A-A indicated in FIG. 1. The unloading systemof the present embodiment which allows activating controlled lowering ofthe shaft (5) and load is located inside the base (3) in the lower areaof FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of said lower area of FIG. 2.As can particularly be seen in FIG. 3, the jack (1) comprises thementioned hydraulically operated circuit (6) containing hydraulic fluidat a pressure that can be increased to lift the shaft (5). According tothe invention, the jack (1) comprises a passage space (12) for fluid,where said passage space (12) communicates the hydraulically operatedcircuit (6) with an unloading circuit (13). The unloading circuit (13)is an additional fluid circuit the function of which is to receive andchannel the hydraulic fluid leaving the hydraulically operated circuit(6) in a controlled manner, allowing subsequent lowering of the shaft(5); for example, the hydraulic unloading circuit (13) can connect thepassage space (12) with the first inner chamber (7) of the bottle (4) toreturn the fluid to said first inner chamber (7). The jack (1) furthercomprises a closure element (14) located in the hydraulically operatedcircuit (6) and elastically pushed towards the passage space (12) toclose said passage space (12) and prevent the controlled outlet ofhydraulic fluid through the passage space (12). In the depictedembodiment, the closure element (14) is a ball and it is elasticallypushed towards the passage space (12) by a spring (15).

Additionally, the jack (1) comprises a ram assembly (16) provided withan inner end (17) and an outer end (18). The inner end (17) is locatedinside the unloading circuit (13), whereas the outer end (18) is locatedoutside the unloading circuit (13). Preferably, the user can directly orindirectly operate the outer end (18) from outside the jack (1) to causeunloading of the jack (1). The ram assembly (16) is movable with respectto the passage space (12) in a longitudinal forward movement direction(A) towards the passage space (12) and in a longitudinal backwardmovement direction (B) opposite the longitudinal forward movementdirection (A). The inner end (17) of the ram assembly (16) has thefunction of pushing the closure element (14) and separating said closureelement (14) from the passage space (12) when the user has directly orindirectly pushed the outer end (18) with enough force so as to move theram assembly (16) a sufficient distance in the longitudinal forwardmovement direction (A).

In order to provide a safety mechanism that stops lowering of the shaft(5) in the event that the user does not perform any operation, the ramassembly (16) is elastically pushed in the longitudinal backwardmovement direction (B) by means of a spring (19), for example, asdepicted in the drawings. The force with which the ram assembly (16) iselastically pushed in the longitudinal backward movement direction (B)is greater than the force with which the closure element (14) iselastically pushed against the passage space (12). This ratio of forceswith which the ram assembly (16) and the closure element (14) areelastically pushed, in this case by means of respective springs (19,15), allows this mechanism to automatically stop the unloading even ifthe pressure of the fluid contained in the hydraulically operatedcircuit (6) is very low.

In the present embodiment, the user can operate the outer end (18) fromoutside the main body (2) in the longitudinal forward movement direction(A), in this case indirectly. The term “indirect/indirectly” isunderstood as the operation being performed by means of intermediateparts between the user and the outer end (18). For example, in thedepicted embodiment the jack (1) comprises the mentioned operating lever(11) for pushing the outer element (18) in the longitudinal forwardmovement direction (A), said operating lever (11) being an intermediatepart between the user and the outer end (18). Furthermore, the depictedembodiment comprises an additional intermediate part, which is anL-shaped part (20) arranged between the operating lever (11) and theouter end (18). The L-shaped part (20) is arranged in an inverted manneragainst the base (3) of the main body (2) and comprises an upper segment(21) and a side segment (22). The L-shaped part (20) is capable ofrotating with respect to the base (3) according to a rotating shaft(23). The rotating shaft (23) is provided in this case by a pin (24)articulating the L-shaped part (20) to the base (3). The side segment(22) pushes the outer end (18) of the ram assembly (16) when theL-shaped part (20) is rotated towards the inner end (18). Therefore,when the user rotates the operating lever (11) downwards as indicated bythe arrow (D), the lower end of the operating lever (11) pushes the sidesegment (22) of the L-shaped part (20) and causes rotation of theL-shaped part (20) with respect to the rotating shaft (23); as a result,the side segment (22) of the L-shaped part (20) pushes the outer end(18) of the ram assembly (16) in a direction having a component in thelongitudinal forward movement direction (A).

In the depicted embodiment, the operating lever (11) can be assembled onthe L-shaped part (20) by means of non-rotational coupling of ahook-shaped projection (25) of the lower end of the operating lever (11)with a corresponding protuberance (26) of the L-shaped part (20). Thisis a simple and effective way of making the operating lever (11) and theL-shaped part (20) rotatably integral with one another in adisconnectable manner.

FIG. 4 shows the assembly between the operating lever (11) and theL-shaped part (20) according to a preferred embodiment. The operatinglever (11) preferably comprises a notch (27) at one end defining a hook(25), and the L-shaped part (20) comprises a protuberance (26)configured for being coupled in the notch (27) and retained by the hook(25). This configuration of the operating lever (11) and of the L-shapedpart (20) allows anchoring the operating lever (11) to the jack (1) andoperating the ram assembly (6). As shown in FIG. 4, the assembly betweenthe operating lever (11) and the L-shaped part (20) causes movement inthe inner end (17) of the ram assembly (16) such that said inner end(17) is in contact with the closure element (14).

FIG. 4 shows the configuration and arrangement of the elements afterassembling the operating lever (11) with the L-shaped part (20). Onceassembled, the user would operate the outer end (18) of the ram assembly(16) through the operating lever (11), allowing controlled lowering ofthe shaft (5).

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a bottle jackaccording to the invention. The jack (1) comprises a main body (2)provided with a base (3) and a bottle (4). The base (3) allows the jack(1) to be supported as a single unit on the ground or a surface. Thejack (1) further comprises a shaft (5) capable of being moved withrespect to the main body (2) in a direction of expansion (A) and in adirection of compression (B) for lifting and lowering the load,respectively. The bottle (4) and the shaft (5) are therefore a hydraulicpiston, where movement of the shaft (5) is caused by a hydraulic systemcomprising an inner operating circuit through which a hydraulic fluidcirculates. The jack (1) further comprises a lever assembly (36) toallow the user to operate the hydraulic system, i.e., to cause anincrease in hydraulic fluid pressure which ultimately lifts the shaft(5). To that end, the lever assembly (36) can be lowered, such that whenthe user applies rotational pumping movements on the lever assembly (5)as indicated by the arrow (e), the hydraulically operated systemconverts the mechanical energy acquired by the lever assembly (36) intoan increase in hydraulic fluid pressure. Said increase in pressurecauses movement of the shaft (5) in the direction of expansion (A).

According to the invention, the lever assembly (36) is telescopic, i.e.,the lever assembly (36) is formed by various portions (37) fittingsuccessively into one another, one inside the next, like a manualtelescope. The total length of the lever assembly (36) is variable.Therefore, when the user wants to store the jack (1), they can stow awaythe lever assembly (36), causing the portions (37) to be housed oneinside another to the greatest extent possible, reducing the length ofthe lever assembly (36) to a minimum. As a result, the total dimensionsof the jack (1) can be reduced when the jack (1) is to be stored,facilitating storage thereof.

The lever assembly (36) is connected to an articulated receiver (38),which is generally any mechanism that provides the lever assembly (36)with a rotating connection to the main body (2) to enable pumping orrotating in a vertical plane as indicated by the arrow (C). In thedepicted embodiment, the articulated receiver (38) is a mechanismcomprising three articulated connections (39); said three articulatedconnections (39) define an articulated triangle transforming rotationalmovement of the lever assembly (36) in a vertical plane as indicated bythe arrow (C) into movement of hydraulic fluid in a downward verticaldirection within the articulated receiver (38) as indicated by the arrow(O). The hydraulic fluid located inside the articulated receiver (38)acquires pressure and is pushed towards the base (3) and the bottle (4)in order to push the shaft (5). According to the invention, the leverassembly (36) can be disassembled from the articulated receiver (38). Inthe depicted embodiment, the end portion (37) of the lever assembly (36)is detachably connected in a housing (40) of the articulated receiver(38).

Optionally, the lever assembly (36) comprises at least one fixingelement for fixing the lever assembly (36) to an area of the main body(2) other than the articulated receiver (38), once the lever assembly(36) is disconnected from the articulated receiver (38). This allowsconnecting the lever assembly (36) to the rest of the jack (1) once itis disconnected from the articulated receiver (38) and telescopicallystowed away, the risk of the lever assembly (36) getting lost beingreduced or eliminated.

In the embodiment depicted in the drawing, the shaft (5) is movedprojecting from an upper area (41) of the bottle (4), and the fixingelement serves to connect the lever assembly (36) precisely to saidupper area (41). This allows the connection between the stowed leverassembly (36) and the rest of the jack (1) to be established in a higherportion and the lever assembly (36) to hang freely from said connectionin a downward position, making it more difficult for the lever assembly(36) to be undesirably disconnected.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the fixing element comprises a hook-typeelement (42) and a receiving opening (43) suitable for receiving saidhook-type element (42). In addition to being intuitive for the user, ahook-type fixing is an optimal solution for connecting the leverassembly (36) vertically to the bottle (4) and taking advantage of theaction of gravitational force to maintain the connection or coupling ofthe lever assembly (36) hanging from the bottle (4).

In the particular case that is depicted, the hook-type element (42) is aflange comprised in the lever assembly (36) and the receiving opening(43) is a groove comprised in the upper area (41) of the bottle (4) andsuitable for receiving the flange. This allows configuring ahard-to-break hook, since the shape of the flange can resemble the shapeof the lever assembly (36), and furthermore the flange can be arrangedsubstantially close to the portion (37) of the lever assembly (36) andtherefore be protected by the rest of the lever assembly (36).

FIG. 6 shows the jack (1) of FIG. 5 in a second situation in which thelever assembly (36) is disconnected from the articulated receiver (38),telescopically stowed away and hanging from the upper area (41) of thebottle (4). As can be seen, the jack (1) is ready to be stored as oneunit without separate portions, and it is very simple for the operatorto handle the jack (1) to attain this situation. The lever assembly (36)is usually kept hanging by the action of gravitational force, theprobability of the lever assembly (36) being separated from the rest ofthe jack (1) and getting lost being reduced to a minimum.

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the upper area (41) of the jack(1) comprises a neck (44) with a ring (45) arranged around it. The ring(45) is rotational with respect to the neck (44). The fixing element, inthis case the assembly formed by the hook-type element (42) and thereceiving opening (43), connects the lever assembly (36) precisely withsaid ring (45). This allows the user to choose the area of the bottle(4) from which to hang the stowed lever assembly (36) should it beuseful in specific situations (for example, if the lever assembly (36)is to be concealed behind the bottle (4) once the jack (1) is placed ina specific point for storage).

The ring (45) also optionally comprises a handle (46) to allow grippingby the user. This facilitates handling and transport of the jack (1) bythe user, not only due to there being a handle (46) but also due to thefact that the rotational position of the handle (46) on the outerperimeter of the bottle (4) can change.

The articulated receiver (38) is also optionally rotational with respectto the base (3) of the main body (2) according to a rotating shaft (47)perpendicular to the base (3). As a result, the lever assembly (36) iscapable of rotating in a plane parallel to the ground or surface onwhich the base (3) is supported, as indicated by the arrow (E). Thisallows the user to change the orientation of the lever assembly (36)with respect to the main body (2), and therefore operate the leverassembly (36) from a comfortable position at all times regardless of theplacement of the main body (2).

1. Bottle jack (1) comprising a main body (2) and a shaft (5) expandingor contracting with respect to the main body (2) for lifting andlowering a load, where the shaft (5) expands due to pressure exerted bya hydraulic fluid contained in a hydraulically operated circuit (6),characterized in that it comprises: a passage space (12) communicatingthe hydraulically operated circuit (6) with an unloading circuit (13)through which the controlled outlet of hydraulic fluid from thehydraulically operated circuit (6) and subsequent lowering of the shaft(5) can occur; a closure element (14) located in the hydraulicallyoperated circuit (6) and elastically pushed towards the passage space(12) to close said passage space (12) and preventing the controlledoutlet of hydraulic fluid through the passage space (12); a ram assembly(16) provided with an outer end (18), outside the unloading circuit(13), and an inner end (17), inside the unloading circuit (13), said ramassembly (16) being movable with respect to the passage space (12) in alongitudinal forward movement direction (A) towards the passage space(12) and in a longitudinal backward movement direction (B) opposite thelongitudinal forward movement direction (A), where the inner end (17) ofthe ram assembly (16) pushes the closure element (14) and separates saidclosure element (14) from the passage space (12) when the outer end (18)is pushed, moving the ram assembly (16) a sufficient distance in thelongitudinal forward movement direction (A); where the ram assembly (16)is elastically pushed in the longitudinal backward movement direction(B) with a force greater than the force with which the closure element(14) is elastically pushed against the passage space (12), and in thatit further comprises: a lever assembly (36) which can be lowered by auser to operate the hydraulically operated system, where said leverassembly (36) is telescopic and the total length of the lever assembly(36) is variable.
 2. Bottle jack (1) according to claim 1, characterizedin that the closure element (14) is a ball.
 3. Bottle jack (1) accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the closure element (14) iselastically pushed towards the passage space (12) by a spring (15). 4.Bottle jack (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the ramassembly (16) is elastically pushed in the longitudinal backwardmovement direction (B) by a spring (19).
 5. Bottle jack (1) according toclaim 1, characterized in that the user can operate the outer end (18)from outside the main body (2) in the longitudinal forward movementdirection (A).
 6. Bottle jack (1) according to claim 5, characterized inthat the lever assembly (36) comprises an operating lever (11) forpushing the outer element (18) in the longitudinal forward movementdirection (A).
 7. Bottle jack (1) according to claim 6, characterized inthat the operating lever (11) can also be assembled on a receivingelement (10) articulated to the main body (2) to allow applying pressureon the hydraulic fluid contained in a hydraulically operated circuit (6)and expansively operating the shaft (5).
 8. Bottle jack (1) according toclaim 5, characterized in that it comprises an L-shaped part (20)arranged in an inverted manner against a base (3) of the main body (2),where said L-shaped part (20) comprises an upper segment (21) and a sidesegment (22) and is capable of rotating with respect to said base (3)according to a rotating shaft (23), where the side segment (22) pushesthe outer end (18) of the ram assembly (16) when the L-shaped part (20)is rotated towards the inner end (18).
 9. Bottle jack (1) according toclaims 6 and 8, characterized in that the operating lever (11) can beassembled on the L-shaped part (20) such that rotation of the operatinglever (11) causes rotation of the L-shaped part (20) with respect to therotating shaft (23).
 10. Bottle jack (1) according to claim 9,characterized in that the operating lever (11) comprises a notch (27) atone end defining a hook (25), and in that the L-shaped part (20)comprises a protuberance (26) configured for being coupled in the notch(27) and retained by the hook (25).
 11. Jack (1) according to claim 1,characterized in that the lever assembly (36) is connected to anarticulated receiver (38) providing the lever assembly (36) with arotating connection with respect to the main body (2), and in that thelever assembly (36) can be disassembled from said articulated receiver(38).
 12. Jack (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that itcomprises at least one fixing element for fixing the lever assembly(36), when it is disconnected from the articulated receiver (38), to anarea of the main body (2) other than the articulated receiver (38). 13.Jack (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the fixing elementcomprises a hook-type element (42) and a receiving opening (43) suitablefor receiving said hook-type element (42).
 14. Jack (1) according toclaim 12, characterized in that the fixing element fixes the leverassembly (36), when it is disconnected from the articulated receiver(38), to an upper area (11) of the bottle (4) through which the shaft(5) projects.
 15. Jack (1) according to claim 14, characterized in thatthe upper area (11) comprises a neck (44) with a ring (45) rotatablyarranged around it, and in that the fixing element connects the leverassembly (36), when it is disconnected from the articulated receiver(38), to said ring (45).
 16. Jack (1) according to claim 15,characterized in that the ring (45) also comprises a handle (46) toallow gripping by the user.
 17. Jack (1) according to claim 11,characterized in that the main body (2) comprises a base (3) forsupporting the jack (1) on the ground or a surface, and in that thearticulated receiver (38) is rotational with respect to said base (3)according to a rotating shaft (47) perpendicular to the base (3), toallow rotation of the lever assembly (36) in a plane parallel to theground or surface.